After a miserable week for Celtics fans all over the world, Boston got back to their winning ways by absolutely dismantling the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night at TD Garden. Following 3 consecutive defeats in which the Celtics led by at least 14 in every game, Boston got an early lead tonight and increased it throughout the game, winning by a final score of 115-93. This performance served as some reassurance for Celtics fans on what this team is capable of when they're playing at their best.
Jayson Tatum led the way for the C's, scoring 30 points on 11/17 shooting in just 3 quarters. Derrick White and Al Horford also had a couple of really nice performances in the starting lineup. Al finished with 17 points and 6 rebounds on 7/11 from the field, while Derrick scored 21 points and added 7 assists, shooting 8/12 on his field goal attempts. The MVP for the Celtics tonight though was their team defense, allowing just 93 points and limiting Portland to 36.6% shooting. This was a big win for the guys to get some confidence back before heading out on the road for a difficult 2 week stretch. With Tatum back in the lineup performing at a high level, we need JT to provide a steady hand over this 6 game stretch to help rack up some wins. After tonight's win, the Celtics still sit 3 games back of Milwaukee in the loss column for the #1 seed. Boston really needs a good road trip to have any chance at grabbing that top spot.
